Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Developing Your personal GAME Plan

Developing Your Personal GAME Plan
I have spent the better parts of this week in deliberate review of the NETS-T, or, International Society for Technology in Education Standards.  Two areas of the standards that I have been reflecting upon and incorporating into the coursework that I teach are NETS-T 1.d., 2.c, and d. (http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2) One area (NETS-T 1.d.) is with the facilitation and inspiration of student learning and creativity.  A second area (NETS-T 2c and d.) deals with   designing and developing digital learning experiences and assessments.
Within the context of these standards, I have begun to establish the Goals, and develop the Actions, that will provide an engaging learning experience that will advance the learning experience of the Advanced Placement Art Studio students that I teach.  

Three areas where I would like to improve student learning is, first with student ability to be creative developers of  original art work at the high level expected for Advanced Placement students (NETS-T1b.).  Second would be to raise their ability to provide critical reflection of their work and their peers using a variety of, face-to-face, written, and digital means of communication (NETS-T2b.).   Following this the goal is for students to be better able to analyze and synthesize questions concerning the quality and breadth of their expression and develop solutions that will advance their work on as broad a scale as can be achieved (NETS-T4c.). (http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2)

Actions that I plan to implement are in two parts. One part includes the development of verbal and written skills that advance the student’s ability to communicate to others about their visual expression. These include written reflection, one-on-one and group, peer and instructor lead critical analysis. The second involves the use of a student blog site in which students will present and receive critical review of their visual expression at a peer level from beyond the classroom setting. The instructor(s) will monitor student involvement for, content, and the quality of the literacy and critical reflection of the discourse. Assessment on a broader scale will be comprised of, pre, formative, and summative means that will include evaluative criteria across the student’s reflective practices, initial image development, critical review across digital and analogue means, balanced against the students visual results. Assessment from a professional standpoint as an instructor will include Self-Assessment, Peer content review, and Peer review from platforms such as this blog space.  What do you think of these initial steps in my GAME plan? Where in the structure that I have presented do you think I need to strengthen, or not…? I appreciate your comments.  

6 comments:

  1. I see you are also focused on developing student reflection, as I am hoping to achieve with my project-based learning class. You have outlined a number of good strategies to catch every reflection. My question is are students writing reflections online, and are these reflections going to be seen by the teacher and the students? Students will, of course, be more motivated to reflect with depth and quality if they know their audience includes more than the teacher.

    I find that giving students reflection prompts can turn a narrative reflection into a thoughtful analysis. My students also complete self-evaluation and peer evaluations, and are encouraged to conduct surveys to collect feedback on their project work before it is finished. This allows students time to make changes if needed.

    Art students at our school create an online investigation workbook (IWB) that shows development of art skills and reflections of research applied. I like the idea of showcasing your students’ artwork on a blog, which means they have a real audience to please.

    Great ideas,

    Alexi


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  2. Alexi,

    Your questions about online writing and viewing are questions that have yet to be answered. In the short time to come I will be coordinating the parameters for blog interactivity with teachers that teach similar content in two local schools. The issues that need to be resolved are establishing connectivity on a basis that fits within the rules in place by my school system and yet still meets student’s needs.

    Student’s at this point in the development, are expected to contribute self-reflections and reflective posts with peers and instructor. Access will be limited to the instructors involved and students specific to the coursework.

    Objectives that students will be working toward are, 1. developing, loading, a physical and digital visual portfolio that is accessible to other art students, 2. participating in critical review, reflection, and advancement of their artistic expression, and, 3. contributing to a 21st Century literacy with communication using this social networking technology.

    The IWB workbook (http://www.bluelavaart.com/images/isf/ib/rwb.html) that you have presented looks like an exciting possibility for use by my students. The workbook with its online galleries and studios is a resource that I might review for adding to my student tool kit.

    Thank you for the post and the site.
    Jim

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  3. Hello Jim,
    Thank you for your post. I think the learning activities are brilliant, specifically the description of visual representations. I am curious of what types of accomodations you will make for ELL students and students with special needs. We also have a population of students where I teach that do not own computers or have access to the internet outside of the classroom. I am curious to know what types of accomodations you would make for them. Would you have a variety of ways to achieve the assignment that does not involve a computer with internet access ?
    Jeremy Dane

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  4. Hi Jim, I could see why you chose those particular standards. You are a very tech savvy individual and those standards are right up your alley (if you understand what I mean).

    I like the idea that you used blogs as a means for students to showcase their work. It is a great means for their colleagues to critique their work and make suggestions for improvement. I use blogs for my part-time teaching position and find that my students are very keen at critiquing their colleagues work in a positive way. They see things and make suggestion that I sometimes do not even notice.
    It also provides needed recognition and a reward for your students and their work. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski (2007) noted that "rewards are most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance" (p. 59). You have provided an excellent medium for students to showcase their creative works while providing recognition for them on an open forum. Your assessment of their work on the same forum is very applicable.

    Do all your students have access? How do you deal with students who do not have internet access and not able to post on the site? Could you provide an alternative for students to showcase their creative work?
    E Jonah Greene

    Reference
    Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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  5. Jeremy,
    Thanks for the post.
    ELL and Special Needs accommodations are always a concern especially if the students are outside of the classroom. Luckily, our school system has ELL and Special Needs specialists that are a blessing to have to assist in student learning. Student’s also have access to a laptop computer for long-term home leave. There are those that do not have access to computers or the internet. Being able to provide technology such as laptops, tablets, or digital pens are another avenue that if available for use can provide delivery of instruction at a distance, provide the student with the ability to create when limitations might hold them back. As in your circumstance where access to new technology is not possible the old technologies are time tested and do work. Learning experiences are modified according to needs and strengths. The wonder of teaching in the visual arts is that they are environments rich in opportunity for multimodal and cross-curricular methods of learning providing access to a broad range of learning strategies. Focusing on a student’s strength and providing the steps toward learning in most instances provides the directive for an authentic learning experience and success.
    Your teaching circumstance appears as if it has its challenges. I wish you luck.
    Jim

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  6. Hi James,
    I like the idea of creating a blog site for your students. Blogs can help students practice and demonstrate different styles of communication, especially through writing (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). This is a perfect action plan for your students to meet your goal. I like the way you monitor your students with their involvement, the content and its qualitative writing, and the critical reflection. You can also support collaboration and help students develop critical communication skills by guiding their responses to classmate’s postings (Cennamo, et al., 2009). I also like the form of your evaluation because you get involved your students (peer content review). In your blog site, are you allowing your students to follow a certain format (APA or MLA)? The nature of a blog is to share personal reflections, opinions, and feelings. At the same time, blogs and shared discussion spaces have sparked controversy because students have shared personal information, such as pictures and contact information (Cennamo, et al., 2009). Some parents would not be allowing their children to share personal information to the public. How would you avoid this situation? Have a great evening!

    Ruel
    Reference
    Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

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